John Wick: A Father Scorned
by P.J. Lowry
Summary: John Wick's past comes back to haunt him, dragging him into a fight that he never wanted to be a part of. This time he's fighting for more than just his pride... it's for family.
1. Chapter 1

The morning had started the same way it had for the last several months. John would slip out of bed, shower and pretty much prepare for a day of doing nothing. He'd turn the news on, cook up some eggs and toast. That particular morning he was in the mood for over easy, something runny. He brewed up a single mug of coffee and was sitting at table eating his breakfast when the routine changed.

There was a knock at the door.

John paused for a moment and put his mug down, hoping it was just some girl guides selling cookies or a nutty Mormon trying to sell the good word. Something that would knock once and then leave without bothering him any further.

Then there was a second knock at the door. No sounds or call outs. Just knocking.

John paused again before he finally rose from his seat. He slowly strolled over to the door and paused again for a moment before opening it a crack.

To his surprise was someone from his past. Someone he hadn't seen in over ten years.

"Mr. Hashimoto?" John said, almost in disbelief.

"Mr. Wick." Hashimoto replied with a short bow.

John looked behind the fat man and there were several armed men behind him. He wasn't worried about them at the moment. If Hashimoto had wanted John dead, he would have sent the gunman first rather than himself. It was clear to John he wanted something else.

"What do you want?" John politely asked, going along for the time being.

"I need to speak with you." Hashimoto replied, "It's of the upmost urgency."

"I'm sure you've heard that I'm retired." John replied, assuming the man was there to hire him. Hashimoto was the most influential man in Tokyo. Why else would have him fly all the way over to visit him?

"It's personal." Mr. Hashimoto said as his eyes pleaded with him. "Hear what I have to say. If you refuse to help me after I tell you what I know, I will leave in peace. You have my word."

That was only the second time in his entire life that Hashimoto had given John his work. Until this very moment he came knocking on his door, the old man had kept the first. John opened the door and gestured for the old man to enter. "They stay outside."

"Agreed." The old man said as he shuffled in. As a sign of respect, he removed his shoes before stepping inside any further.

"In the kitchen," John ordered as he closed the door. "I was just having breakfast."

As they both strolled into the kitchen, John motioned to the machine that was beside the sink. "Coffee?"

The old man was surprised as he sat down at the table. "Yes, please."

"How do you take it?" John asked as he started the machine up to make another single cup.

"One sugar." The old man replied, "And cream."

John made up the coffee and gave it to Hashimoto before returned to his seat and turned off the television. "You have ten minutes."

"I need your help." Hashimoto started.

"I figured that much out." John replied, "Is this about Natsuki?"

"No, it is not." Hashimoto said as he took a sip of coffee and paused. "I'm sorry to tell you this but Natsuki died five years ago."

John had no idea. He sipped his own coffee and then took a deep breath. "I'm very sorry to hear that."

"It was an accident." Hashimoto replied, "Things happen that are sometimes out of your control. I know you two were very close and I apologize for not telling you sooner."

"I had a life of my own." John admitted, "I had promised to stay away and I did."

"Yes." Hashimoto concurred. "You did what you said you would do. Very honorable."

"Then why are you here if it isn't about her?" John asked.

"It's about my granddaughter." Hashimoto replied.

John looked back up at old man, surprised. "Natsaki had a child?"

"She did." Hashimoto said as he took a photo out of his pocket and slid it across the table to John. "Her name is Yuna. She's such a wonderful girl. I have been raising her as if she were my own since Natsuki's passing. She's all I have left of her."

"What happened to her?" John asked as he started to get an idea of where this was going.

"Some new punk named The Golden Dragon has been trying to muscle in on my territory for a while now." Hashimoto answered, "Turf wars for my territory have always been honorable, until this Dragon fellow decided to make it personal."

"He kidnapped your granddaughter." John guessed as the personal part of the conversation was finally coming to light.

"Yes." Hashimoto confirmed, holding his head down in shame.

"When did this happen?" John asked.

"Seven days ago." Hashimoto replied, "Two days ago they sent me her pinky finger in the mail."

"Son of a bitch." John cussed to himself. Whoever this Dragon was, he was as serious as a heart attack and wasn't going to back down.

Hashimoto had started to cry. "They said if I do not give him all my territory, they will gang rape her before sending me her head in a box."

"Why don't you give him what he wants?" John honestly asked. "You have more than enough money to retire and start somewhere new."

"Yes, I would do it without hesitation." Hashimoto confessed, "But I have no assurances he will keep his side of the deal."

"You're afraid they'll kill her anyway." John stood up from the table and walked over to the window. Hashimoto was there for a good reason. Someone he loved was being tortured and likely would be killed even if the old man gave the new gangsters everything they wanted. They're out to set an example, give every other boss in the city a reason to shake in their boots and never think of crossing The Golden Dragon. To young irresponsible punks like that, the life of a young girl was nothing to them.

"Please." Hashimoto said as he looked ready to get on his knees and beg. "You have to help me."

"I don't have to do anything," John corrected him. "This is your mess, not mine."

"This is your mess as much as it is mine!" Hashimoto called out, sounding very desperate.

John had suspected something from the moment Hashimoto had slide the picture of the young women over to him at the table. "How old is Yuna?"

"Thirteen." Hashimoto replied.

Without any notice, John turned around and grabbed the old man by the collar and heaved him out of the chair with great strength. The anger that was pulsing through his veins felt like acid, burning his skin with uncontrollable rage. "She's mine, isn't she?"

"Yes... Natsaki delivered her seven months after you left Tokyo." Hashimoto confirmed, "You are Yuna's biological father."

John let go of the old man and walked back to the window. "You don't want to be here. If you had your way, I would have never known."

"Yes." Hashimoto admitted, "I feel great shame being here today."

"For what?" John asked as he turned to face the old man again.

"I have failed not only as a father, but as a grandfather." Hashimoto said as the tears came down his cheeks. "I have failed to protect the ones I love. I am here because I will do anything to save Yuna, even if it meant confessing all of my failures to you."

John could only imagine how humbled the old man had to be coming to John of all people for help. They were never friends and John was the last person Hashimoto wanted as a son-in-law. He wanted to fight for Natsaki, but she insisted he leave Japan. She knew that someone she cared about would die and she made John give his word to leave and never return. She also made her father vow to never follow him. Both men had kept their word and now there was a child that needed help. The old man is so desperate he didn't hesitate to come to the last man he ever wanted to talk to and confess things he never wanted to tell anyone. The man was truly desperate.

"You stay here." John said as he picked up what was left of his dishes and put them into the sink.

"Where are you going?" Hashimoto asked.

"To pack." John replied. "I assume you came here by private charter?"

"Yes." The old man replied. "Does this mean you're going to help me?"

"No," John said as he looked back at him with a fierce gaze. "I'm going to help Yuna. If it happens to benefit you or your business, it is entirely unintentional."

"Thank you!" the old man called out.

"Don't thank me yet." John replied, "You haven't heard my conditions."

"Anything!" the old man called out. "I'll do anything!"

"We'll see about that." John said as he went to the garage to get his equipment. He was going to need a lot of guns, ammunition and coins. Lots of coins.


	2. Chapter 2

He was sitting at his usual table with a pen in one hand and a dry martini in the other. There were four olives in it, but he would never eat them until the glass was empty. With his pen he was crunching a few numbers and doing business in the last place where anyone would want to do business. Since he was the owner of establishment, it was impossible for him to avoid work. This place was his business. Everyone was content and behaving themselves. Several months ago the bar and the hotel had hit a bit of a dry spell. Someone had violated the rules and as a result one of his customers was found in his room, murdered.

The person who did it was swiftly dealt with but that didn't change what happened. Many clients cancelled reservations and kept their distance for a while. It wasn't the first time someone had crossed the Continental and Winston knew Ms. Perkins was not likely going to be the last. The best Winston could do was go out of his way to assure his clients that efforts were being made to make sure something like this would never happen again.

He had been protesting the move for over a decade but electronic key cards were now installed for every room to prevent someone from picking the lock like Ms. Perkins had easily done the night she attacked John Wick. Another move that was made was the installation of bulletproof glass on every window in the building. That was a costly upgrade but it was one that quickly paid itself off as more clients began to return once they were installed. Winston didn't want to think about it, but for some reason fate had other plans.

One of the bartenders walked up with a message folded up in her hand. "You need to see this."

"Thank you, Addy." Winston said as he took a sip of his martini as he took the small slip from her. He opened it and read what it said. Upon seeing the contents, he finished his drink and took the olives to go.

The moment Winston left his seat, one of the guards at the door spoke into a com that was attached to the collar on his right wrist. He walked through the kitchen and made his way to the lobby of the hotel. He took his own personal entrance that led him to the back door to the main desk at the Continental. The moment he opened the door he was greeted by Cheron, the hotel manager was there waiting for him to arrive.

"Where is he?" Winston asked.

"In the lobby." Cheron replied.

Winston paused for a second. "What did you tell him?"

"The truth." The manger answered. "Only you could open the vault."

"Very good." Winston said as he patted his manager on the shoulder. "I'll take care of this myself."

"Yes, Sir." Cheron said as he watched Winston walk towards the lobby.

"Jonathan." Winston called out as he walked into the lobby.

"Winston." John Wick replied as he stood up.

"I came as soon as I heard." Winston said as he walked over and took a seat in front of the chair John had been occupying. "Please sit down."

John seemed impatient but did so anyway. "I don't mean to sound rude but I have a plane that is waiting for me."

"You're going somewhere?" Winston asked.

"I am." John answered, "Once I get what I'm here for. It's still here, isn't it?"

"Of course it is." Winston replied, "I'm here because I'm the only one who can open the vault. There are things in there that can topple governments. I am the only one certain people can trust it with. No one gets in there with my approval."

"Do I need your approval?" John asked, somewhat frustrated.

"No." Winston answered, "But I need you to tell me why you need it. You didn't even ask for it when you went after Iosef."

"You don't bring a blade to a gunfight." John explained to him. "But this time I'm going to need my sword."

"Do you mind if I ask where you're going to take it?" Winston asked.

John paused for a moment. "Tokyo."

"Are you sure you want to do this." Winston asked, somewhat concerned. "You haven't been there in quite some time. Why go after Hashimoto now after all this time?"

John's response took Winston by surprised as he laughed. "You're not going to believe this, but Hashimoto is the one waiting for me at the airport."

Winston's eyebrow shot up as he seemed taken by that statement. "He told you to never come back to Japan. What's changed?"

"This." John said as he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and placed it onto the coffee table between them.

Winston opened it to see the severed finger that was inside it. "Whose finger is this? Is this Natsuki's?"

"No, it belongs to her daughter." John answered. "My daughter."

Winston looked back up at John. "Your daughter?"

"Yes." John answered. "She's in danger and Hashimoto has asked for my help."

For the first time in a very long time, Winston was speechless. He stood up and walked back to the desk. The manager watched as Winston walked to the backroom behind the main desk and then removed a large painting from the wall.

It wasn't a very big vault but it was quite secure. Winston put his hand onto a scanner and then after his prints were verified, he entered an eleven letter or digit password that only he knew. Seconds later the door opened for what was the first time in a while.

Winston took a deep breath and removed a long katana from the vault. It didn't look very impressive. It had a black hilt that was mildly decorated but was very simple. It was not made to win any points for style. It was created to bring death upon whoever came across its path. Winston unsheathed a few inches to take a look at the metal.

"I've never seen anything like it." Cheron said as he looked at it. The blade was as a dark blackish-gray material. There was a hint of blue if you looked at it closely. "What is it?"

"It's Tungsten Carbide." Winston replied as he looked at it. "It's a man made metal compound. It's created by heating Tungsten with carbon and cementing that mixture with other metals such as nickel and cobalt. It's used in a wide variety of uses such as jewelry and drilling equipment. This is the only sword ever made out of the material. It took one of the finest bladesmith in Japan almost a year to make it. John Wick used this weapon during his years in Japan. This blade has killed many people to the point where it has a name."

"What do they call it?" Cheron asked.

"The Black Death." Winston answered. He sheathed the sword and tucked it under his arm. Without saying another word, he casually strolled back into the lobby.

John stood back up when he saw Winston approach with his sword. "Thank you."

"We've taken good care of it. Not a scratch, Jonathan." Winston said as he handed the katana over to John. "I hope that if you ever need to put that away, you'll consider the Continental again."

"I will." John said as he stared at the sword for a moment. "Thank you."

"I hope like your indestructible sword." Winston started, "That you will return to us in one piece."

"I make no promises." John said as he tucked the sheathed sword under his arm. "But I will try my best."

"Will you be needing accommodation in Tokyo?" Winston asked. "We actually have a place over there if you'd like me to call ahead."

"That won't be necessary for now." John answered, "But I will keep that in mind."

"Good luck, Jonathan." Winston said as he watched John walk away.

John never replied and was out the front door in less than a few seconds. Winston had a chill run up his spine as he thought about Wick welding that might sword again for the first time in a very long time. Heaven help the man that angered him enough to bring it out of retirement, Winston thought to himself. Whoever it was, that person was going to die very soon. That much the old man knew as he started to walk back to his bar.


	3. Chapter 3

When he arrived at the airport, John Wick stepped out of his car and slowly strolled towards the small private jet that was waiting for him inside a massive hangar. Hashimoto was standing in front of the small leer jet with over a dozen armed men. Once he was within speaking distance to the old man, Wick looked up at him with a determined look on his face.

"Just you, me and the pilots... no one else," John said as he stopped just short of the steps leading up to the jet. "This is not negotiable."

"What about my men?" Hashimoto protested. "They are for my protection."

"You don't need them," John replied as he looked back at him.

"At least let me take my waitresses." Hashimoto pled.

"One." John said as he was eager to get going. He was only carrying one bag and his sword as he went up the stairs and entered the plane.

The guards watched in stunned silence as Hashimoto followed. Once the two extra waitresses were shown off, the door was closed and the small private jet began to taxi out towards the runway.

Wick sat there on one of the plush chairs, holding onto his sword. The tension between the two men was thick as fog as they sat they for almost an hour, each person waiting for the other to start the conversation.

Finally John broke his silence and addressed the old man. "When this is over, I'm bringing the child home to live with me."

The old man sat there for a moment, pondering his response. "No."

Without warning, John unsheathed the blade and within seconds the tip of it was underneath the Hashimoto's chin. John stood there for what seemed like a half hour but was only a few minutes as he locked eyes with the aged crime boss. He was not the same man who employed him all those years ago, long before he moved to work for the Russians. He was weak, which would explain why his territory was under attack. The old man was nearing the end of his reign.

"I wasn't asking." Wick informed him as he stood there like a statue, holding a blade that could end Hashimoto with just the flick of his wrist.

"Do it." Hashimoto said to him.

"Excuse me?" Wick asked.

"Go ahead and kill me," Hashimoto insisted, "Fulfill the promise you made to me all those years ago. I would rather die than live without her. At least if I died by your hand, it would be a fate many would consider honorable."

Seconds later, Wick dropped the blade from the old man's chin. "After the chaos we're about to bring upon the city, she might be safer staying away from Japan for a while. This is my price for helping you. She is free to return whenever she likes but I want a chance to get to know her before that happens. If I save her from these savages, I'd like to think I would have earned that right."

"All right," Hashimoto replied, "If you save her, hiding at your home in the states might be the best place for her until the dust settles."

Wick walked back to his seat and sheathed the black blade back into its place. "There isn't going to be any dust that needs settling. I'm going to find the people who hurt my daughter and end them."

"What do you want me to do?" Hashimoto asked, eager to support John and recover his granddaughter from the Dragon.

"Just one thing," Wick said as he sat down and looked back at him. "Stay out of my way."

That was the last thing that John said to Hashimoto as they remained silent for the rest of the flight which took over twelve hours. As much as Hashimoto wanted to go over a game plan with John on how to attack their enemy, he knew it was unnecessary. Wick had no intention of working with anyone. He was going to handle this by himself.

Wick was intent to seek the men who kidnapped his daughter, but it wasn't necessary. The Golden Dragon had already taken the time to roll out the red carpet. There were two cars waiting for the plane in a small hanger, but what Hashimoto was unaware of was his men were already dead, replaced with men intent on killing him.

John and Hashimoto were about to exit the plane when Wick noticed something that looked rather odd. The collar on one of the guards was open because his neck was too big for the collar. He knew Hashimoto always made sure his men wore custom made suits so either this man gained a ton of weight since buying what looked like a new suit... or that wasn't his suit. It was a trap.

Wick grabbed Hashimoto by the collar and dragged him back inside the plane. As he did, the twelve men outside the plane drew automatic weapons and started to unload their payloads at the small aircraft. While the fuselage of the plane was strong enough to stop the bullets, the windows were not so Wick threw Hashimoto onto the floor of the jet so the bullets coming through the windows wouldn't hit them.

Wick staying behind cover and waited patiently as he listened for the men to run out of ammunition. He carefully waited to hear the first click, for that was when the clock would start. When the first gun ran out of bullets, that's when Jon sprung to his feet and bolted for the door. Odds were all the men who were working for the Dragon likely all had the same weapon. So when one of them ran out of ammo, they all were empty by the time Wick emerged from the plane. This was the window he needed to attack as he launched from the door, with the Black Death unsheathed and ready to kill.

The first man Wick hit was standing less than ten feet from the plane and was quickly fumbling to reload. Wick's first splice went straight through the automatic gun, cutting through the metal and splitting the gun in half. The next slice was meant for the owner, as the gunman was decapitated with a swipe. Before the body hit the floor, Wick had already begun to run at his next victim. He drove the katana into the chest of the next gunman and then kicked the man in the stomach to drive the man off his sword rather than fight to slice it back out.

By the time the first two men were killed, the other eight had reloaded and were ready to fire again.

Wick had anticipated this as he leaped over the hood of the car beside him and used the vehicle for cover as he planned his next move.

Rather than wait for Wick to stick his head out, the Dragon's men started to spray bullets everywhere, praying that one of them might hit the target. Not a single one came even close and Wick was eager to attack again as he again wait for them to foolishly run out of ammo again. When Wick had completed his second attack on the Golden Dragon's men, not a single one was left standing.

Hashimoto exited the plane when he felt it was safe to come out and looked around at all the carnage that occurred while he was cowardly stayed inside. Wick didn't really care as the old man merely would have gotten in his way.

"I told you," Hashimoto started, "This man is without honor."

"That's actually a good thing," Wick said as he took a handkerchief from one of his victims and begun to use it to clean his blade. "Men without honor are just as predictable as men who are with honor."

Before he could say anything else, a loud sound interrupted them. It was a cell phone from one of the corpses. Wick strolled over and fished the mobile from the dead man's pocket and then slid his finger across to open the line.

"Is it done?" The man asked in flawless Japanese. "Is that old far dead?"

"No, he's not." Wick replied in the same language. He then changed to English. "I suppose this is the Golden Dragon I am addressing."

"Who is this?" The Dragon replied, also now speaking in English.

"My name is John Wick."

"Bullshit."

"Your lack of belief is irrelevant."

"Why is that?"

"I'm still going to kill you regardless of your beliefs."

There was a long pause on the line.

"What do you want, Mr. Wick?"

"You kidnapped someone," John replied. "I want her returned unharmed, immediately."

"Hashimoto's granddaughter is none of your concern."

"She's my daughter. That makes her my concern."

There was another long pause.

"The fact that you're here working with that fiend convinces me of your alleged lineage. I was unaware of it."

"You are aware of it now," Wick said as he began to pace around the hangar. "You have one chance to save yourself. Release the girl to my custody, unharmed."

"What do I get in return?" The dragon asked.

"My gratitude," Wick informed him, "And a chance to dethrone Hashimoto; honorably and without my interference."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you die." Wick declared, "And so does your entire operation. Not a single man, woman or building you own will exist when I'm finished with you. I will rip your entire operation apart one brink at a time until there is nothing left but rubble. And when you have nothing left in this world, I will then take the only thing you have left; your life."

"I'll need to think about it."

"You have six hours. If I don't get a call on this cell by then, I'll assume your answer is no and start hunting."

Without warning Wick disconnected the call. He had nothing more to say.


	4. Chapter 4

_I apologize for the delay in updates... I've been working on some big projects and had to deal with some serious medical issues. Things are going well and I plan to update more often this summer. _

_Thanks for your support and patience. _

_PJ_

* * *

Hashimoto wanted to go back to a more secure location, but John refused to with him. He was eager to get started but he had given the Dragon six hours, which happened to be six more than that piece of trash deserved. About an hour after John spoke with the Dragon, Hashimoto left the hangar and went home. To Wick, his presence was no longer necessary. For the violence that was about to begin, the old man would just get in the way. John was not one known for his patience, so he grabbed one of the automatic weapons from the bodies in the hanger, a few magazines and his sword before taking one of their cars and leaving the airport. While driving towards the downtown area, he checked his watch. The dragon still had four and a half hours left. It had been years since he was in the Toyko but it still felt the same. It was haunting for him but when he found the place he was looking for.

A small restaurant that looked run down, a place that John used to his frequently during the days he used to live there. When he strolled into the small sushi bar, it was like he had traveled back in time. The place hadn't change, and he had hoped the staff hadn't changed as well. As he approached the bar, there was a man around his own age there, making sushi right in front of the people waiting to be served. John put all his weapons down on a chair then sat down in the seat next to it. He quietly waited for the man who was making to sushi to notice he was there. A few seconds he looked up and his face was one of shock.

"John fucking Wick!" the man said as he walked over and gave Wick a high five. "Man, it has been a while!"

"Shota," John said, happy to see his old friend. "I cannot begin to tell you how good it is to see you again. I wish it were under better circumstances."

Shota looked to the chair beside him and noticed the big bun and the large katana beside it. "You're in town on business I see."

"Not exactly," John corrected him, "This one is personal, and unless my demands are met, I'm going to start painting this city red until they are."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Shota asked, "I would prefer to avoid bloodshed if possible."

"You're safe," John replied, "I just wish you had told me about Natsuki's child."

"I was tempted," Shota admitted, "But they were living well, and her father totally mellowed out when she was born. That in itself was a damn miracle."

"He became too mellow," John told him, "This Golden Dragon kidnapped my daughter, now he's threatening to kill her."

"Damn," Shota said, unaware of the details. "I'm sorry to hear about that."

"Me too." John said.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Shota offered.

"Two things."

"Name it."

"I'll take a bottle of warm Saki and the dinner I always ordered here," John started, "And then you can tell me what the most valuable and profitable operation the Golden Dragon owns."

"You got it John," Shota said, going to work on making his dinner.

John had time to kill so he sat there quietly drinking his Saki and eating the well made food for the next hour, but the Dragon still had a few hours to think. He was slowly losing his patience. When he was finished eating the amazing food that Shota had prepared for him, the cook slid a business card over to him.

"This is the Dragon's crown jewel," Shota explained, "He says it's a strip club and bar but we all know it's a glorified whore house. We even suspect he's involved in human trafficking so most of the girls don't have a say in their employment. So if you're going to tear the place apart, they're victims too."

"I understand," John said, taking the card. He also picked up the gun and the sword. "Thanks for the food, and the help."

"Thank you, John." Shota called back, "It was good to see you again."

As he left the bar, John looked at the card and while the name of the place was not familiar to him, the address was. He knew exactly where this place was. John's patience had finally run out. He didn't care how much time was left; it was time to show the Golden Dragon that John Wick doesn't make idle threats. He drove the car he took from the hangar and headed straight for the address on the card. When he arrived, the place stuck out like a naked guy in a crowd with his hair on fire. Rather than slow down, John stepped on the gas and b-lined straight for the front entrance. The people waiting in line ran away, and before the guard could pull his gun John had struck him with his vehicle, sending the man flying against the wall. John then put the car in reverse and backed into the other guard who was trying to call for help. Once both men were down, John stepped out of the car and calmly walked into the establishment. With his sword strapped to his back, and the machine gun loaded and ready, Wick strolled into the dark strip club. The women ran for their lives while the men who worked for the Golden Dragon scrambled to either take cover or pull out their guns. The ones who didn't dive for cover were the first to die. John raised his gun up and cut loose without hesitation, mowing down anyone who was a threat.

Chests were exploding with blood and falling down alike a sack of potatoes as John hit every one of his targets with little effort. These men were just as pathetic as the thugs the Golden Dragon had sent to the airport. Easy to gun down and it wasn't much of a fight as he continued to shoot the place up. After emptying three clips into the club and its workers, John tossed the gun away and unsheathed the Black Death as he began to run for cover while the other men tried to shoot him, hitting only air. The first victim of the lethal katana never saw the blade coming as it was hidden from sight in the dark club, but he felt it as the dark blade sliced through both his gun and his arm in one aggressive swipe. As the thug watched his own arm fall to the ground, it was the last thing he would ever see as Wick's second slash chopped the man's torso in two, cutting down from his shoulder to his hip.

Two other thugs were watching in horror as Wick cut the first man in half, standing there like a deer in the headlights. Wick then threw the sword like a spear and it went into one of the thug's chest and heart, killing him instantly. While the other watched his friend die beside him, John used the distraction to run up beside him, and knock the handgun out of his hands. Seconds later, Wick snapped the man's neck with his bare hands. He picked up the hand gun and used it to kill the last two men in the room who had dove for cover and the battle was over just after it had begun. The only person left stranding was the bartender, who was frozen with fear. It was a woman, so John had remembered what Shota had told him earlier. He tossed the hand gun away before pulling his Katana out of the dead man's chest. He slowly walked up to the bar, grabbed a handkerchief from the counter, and started to clean the blood off his blade.

"Do you speak English?" John asked.

"Yes," the bartender replied.

"I'll take a double blackjack," Wick told the bartender, "Neat."

The bartender was wise to do as he said, serving up the drink in seconds. Only a fool would refuse an order from a man cleaning blood off a sword. As John was drinking the phone started to ring.

"That's probably for me," John told her.

The bartender picked up the receiver and passed it to John without speaking.

"Thank you," John said, finishing his drink. "I'll have another, please."

As the bartender left to get his drink, John put the receiver to his ear.

"This is Wick."

"Mr. Wick," the other side replied, "I still have two hours left."

"My patience is wearing thin."

"I thought we had an understanding."

"Something had occurred to me," John began to explain, "You probably thought the fat man was pulling a fast one and you decided to call my bluff. Let me make this as clear as I possibly can. This is no joke. If you do not give me back my daughter unharmed, every establishment you own will suffer a similar fate."

"You are without honor," the dragon replied.

"I don't give a shit," Wick replied, "You have no honor either if you're exploiting young girls as slaves to make money. You're the lowest scum. If you don't give me back my daughter, I will put you out of business and then into the ground. Don't test my patience or I'll burn another of your businesses to the ground in 60 minutes."

Before the Golden Dragon could respond John disconnected the line just in time to take another drink from the bartender.

"Are you going to hurt me?" she asked.

"No," Wick replied, "You are free to go... after you tell me everything you know about the Golden Dragon's network and where he keeps all his money."


	5. Chapter 5

The Continental had expanded only to a few select cities since Winston had opened the original in New York. One of the reasons for such a slow expansion was to make sure he didn't stretch his own finances too thin; but the other was a lack of people he could trust to run his operations. Winston was a resourceful person, but he couldn't be in several spots around the world at the same time. Trust was something that didn't come to the old man easily, especially considering the kind of clientele that he worked with. Yet when he opened a Continental in Tokyo, he was confident that the person running the operation was the best one for the job. Ms. Lee was an assassin that had retired from the profession when she became a mother, and she was content to run a restaurant with her mother while raising her children. Winston thought it was a waste of her clear talent for hospitality and considering her other talents; Ms. Lee was by far the perfect choice to be the manager of the Continental in Japan. She was a night owl by habit, working long hours into the night with the staff. One of the hardest working managers Winston had under his employment. There was rarely ever any trouble at that location, as Ms. Lee was well aware of how to handle and eventually toss out the trash. This made Tokyo one of Winston's most profitable expansions. He mentioned the location to Jonathan as he left with his sword, but was unaware if he was going to take him up on his offer. Ms. Lee had been warned but refused to even believe that John Wick had returned to Japan at all. She was cleaning the counter and the lobby was empty when all the proof she would need to the rumors came walking in the door, carrying a lot of baggage with him.

Wick dropped two large gym bags in the middle of the lobby and then went back outside. He then returned with three more massive gym bags, all looking like they have been stuff full of dirty clothing. With two bag slung over his shoulder, Wick dragged the other three behind him as he approached the front desk.

"Mr. Wick," the lady said with a respectful bow, "I'm Ms. Lee, the manager of the Continental Japan."

"Ms. Lee," Wick said as he dropped his bags to give her a bow just as respectful, "I've come to see if you have any vacancies."

"We do not," Ms. Lee replied, "But your room is already booked and waiting for you, courtesy of Mr. Winston."

"Oh, thank you," Wick said, pleasantly surprised. "Can I get someone to help me carry my luggage up to the room?"

"Of course," Ms. Lee said, as she rang a bell on her counter. A man came out and she spoke to him in Japanese. The young man grabbed three for the big bags and they both walked to the lift, taking it to the top floor. It appears that Winston had booked John their best suite, still doing what he could to make up for the lack of professionalism he was shown the last time he had stayed with them. Wick didn't think anything of it, but Winston's reputation took a hit for it.

Once the massive bags were tossed onto the massive king sized bed, Wick handed the young man a coin and watched as he left and closed the door behind him. Once he had the room to himself, the opened one of the bags and emptied it onto the bed. It was cash and lots of it. The bag he had just emptied was full of Euros and American dollars. He slowly began to count them and make two piles on the desk that was across from the big bed. Wick had been in his room for over three hours when the phone rang. He looked at it for a moment and then picked up the receiver.

"This is Wick." John answered.

"Hello Jonathan," a familiar voice on the other end replied, "I got word you had checked in, and I wanted to see how you were doing."

"Hello Winston," Wick answered as he sat down and put down the stack that he had been counting. "I'm doing all right. I can't say the same for the Golden Dragon's operations, but I've been faring well so far tonight."

"So I've heard." Winston said, aware of almost anything. "Ms. Lee is a fine manager, so if you need anything from her at all, I assure you she can be trusted with almost anything."

"I appreciate that," Wick replied, "But I don't require special treatment."

"I feel terrible," Winston admitted, "For what happened during your stay here last summer. Just paying a small penance that I feel is owed."

"Duly noted," Wick said as he looked around, "Thanks for booking the room for me as well. It was a kind gesture."

"Anything for a loyal client," Winston replied.

"I don't mean to be rude," Wick said, "But I need to finish counting up the Golden Dragons finances, so when he calls in to cry about me taking all his money I can tell him the exact figure to hold over his head."

"You never seemed like the thieving type to me," Winston said, somewhat surprised.

"I'll be honest, I was tempted to burn it again," Wick confessed, "but I have a kid now and that changes things. I have to think about college tuition, RRSPs, cars and boys, other things that never even entered my mind before."

"Parenting does tend to change people's priorities like that," Winston admitted, "I wouldn't worry too much about money. I doubt this Dragon fellow is going to need it where he's going. And a man of your skills will never have problems raising funds for any kind of child rearing."

"I've got to go," Wick said, "there's another call coming in."

"Good luck, Jonathan." Winston said before Wick changed the line over.

"This is Wick." John said into the line, aware of whom it might be.

"Where's my money?" the voice on the other line called out.

"It's here with me." Wick answered, "I'm just counting it now."

"You are a man without honor!" the Dragon screamed back at him.

"Says the man who kidnaps children to muscle their rivals," John retorted. "That's especially rich coming from you."

"I want it all back!" the Dragon cried out, not even listening.

"If you want a single dollar back at all," John started, "You will give me back my daughter, as soon as humanly possible. If you do that, I will give you your money back. You can then resume your war with Hashimoto without my interference. This is your last chance, if you do not return my daughter to me now I will destroy what is left of your organization even if you do return her to me afterwards. This is the point of no return; give me back my child or we will be war from here out."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

"Where do you want us to drop her off?" The Dragon asked.

"Bring her to the Continental Japan," Wick replied, "I will be waiting for her in the lobby. Do I need to remind you what happens if any of us break the rules of the Continental?"

There was another long pause. "No, Mr. Wick. You do not."

"Have her here within the hour," Wick replied, "I'll be waiting for you both."

An hour after he finished speaking with the Dragon, Wick came down to the lobby with two of the three bags that he had originally brought with him. Counting the money had reduced the space needed from five to four bags, but he had left two in the suite just in case the Dragon attempted to pull anything funny. He walked up to the couches in the middle of the lobby and dropped the two bags onto the floor and waited patiently. Moments later, an older looking man in a green suit walked in with three other men. Behind him one of the men was dragging a young girl in with him. John didn't even have to ask if it was her, he could tell just by looking at her that it was his daughter. The young girl looked exactly like the woman he shared time with here in the city all those years ago.

"Is this it?" The man in the green suit asked, as it was obvious he was the Golden Dragon.

"It will be," Wick replied, "Consider yourself lucky because usually I just burn my enemies funds into ashes. I made an exception just so that I could return some of it to end our little conflict, unless you prefer to remain hostile."

The Dragon paused for a moment and settled down, aware that he was facing an opponent that was vastly superior to him and his crew. "I was unaware that the girl shared a lineage with you. I return her to you with my sincerest apologies."

The Dragon made a gesture, and the guard behind him let the girl to and pushed her towards John Wick. As she was walking over to the other side of the lobby where John was, he was distracted for a moment as he watched the young girl walk towards him. He was possibly thinking about the girl's mother, as the child did indeed look exactly like her. During this brief distraction, the Golden Dragon pulled out his gun and pointed at Wick and his daughter. For the first time since opening its doors, the Continental Japan had gunshots ringing through the lobby, and bullets ricocheting off the fine marble walls.


	6. Chapter 6

The first shot from the Dragon's gun hit the young woman in the back, the force from the shot pushing her forward into John Wick's arms. He let off another shot, which also slammed into her back, hitting her in the heart. John held her in his arms, with a stunned look on his face. The Dragon was smiling as he then pointed the gun at Wick himself, trying to use the short-lived pause to plant a bullet into his head. Before Dragon could pull the trigger, another shot rang out in the hallways of the Tokyo Continental but it came from another direction, knocking the gun out of Dragon's hand before he could discharge the fatal shot.

Ms. Lee had entered the fray and was packing a glock in each hand as she fired more shots without hesitation at the Dragon and his people as then dove for cover. The Dragon was able to lunge out the door, while his other two men were gunned down by the building's manager with extreme prejudice. She raced to the door, but the Dragon had already jump into a car that was peeling off as she walked out the door and started to pump as many bullets into the vehicle as it screamed away.

"Cowards!" she screamed out in Japanese, "Your blood will paint this town before the week is out!"

As she walked back into the lobby of the Continental, she was saddened to see the sight that lie before her. Wick was holding the young woman in his arms but the blood on the ground told Ms. Lee that it was too late for the young woman. Yuna was already dead.

"Mr. Wick," Ms. Lee said as she walked closer, "I am terribly sorry about this."

"You didn't shoot her," Wick softly replied, "but thank you for your help."

"Our doctor is on his way," she informed him, "But I cannot make any promises. She's lost so much blood."

"She's already gone," Wick confessed as tears were streaming down his cheek. She had stopped breathing in his arms while Ms. Lee was shooting at the car outside. He held her tight, but already knew it was too late. The wounds were both fatal, so the fact she took them both meant there was no hope for her.

Moments later, Hashimoto and a few of his men entered the lobby, all with guns looking to see if the Dragon was still there. But when the old man saw the bloody young woman in Wick's arms, Hashimoto cried out loud and dropped his gun as he ran over to be with them both. He got down on his knees in the middle of the pool of blood on the floor and began to look at the young woman. A few moments into his inspection, he gave out a deep sigh and put a hand on Wick's shoulder.

"It's not her." He whispered.

"What?" Wick said, looking back down at the girl, "Then who is this?"

"The Dragon took advantage of the fact that you've never met Yuna," Hashimoto informed him, "He probably picked someone from his stocks that looked like her, and tried to trick you. This isn't Yuna. She could still be alive."

Wick gently put the young woman in his arms on the floor. He was disgusted that the Dragon would kill the young woman just to torture him. He struggled to get back up to his feet, but he was covered in the young woman's blood, from his chest to his toes. Ms. Lee was still standing there, hoping there was something she could do.

"Ms. Lee?" John called out.

"Yes, Mr. Wick?" Ms. Lee replied.

"Those two large bags over there," John said as he pointed to the bags he was going to return to the Dragon in exchange for who he thought was his daughter. He took two coins out of his pocket. "Please put one of them in a safe place so I can collect it at a later time."

"And the other coin?" Ms. Lee asked, knowing what he was asking for only required one coin of payment, despite the fact she'd do it for nothing because of what had just occurred.

"I'd like the name of the biggest arms dealer in the city," John replied, "And his telephone number."

John gave her a third coin. "Find out who this young lady belongs to, and use some of the money in the bags to take care of her funeral services."

"Yes, Mr. Wick." Ms. Lee replied without hesitation.

Ms. Lee picked up the two bags despite their weight and carried them to the back room, where she would also look up the name and number he asked for. She flipped through a catalogue of people she knew, and stopped at one and ripped it out. Ms. Lee quickly walked out to John Wick and held out the card for him. "Make that bastard pay for what he's done, Mr. Wick."

"Thank you, Ms. Lee." John said, taking the card from her, "I will."

John read the name on the card and couldn't help but smile.

"What is it?" Hashimoto asked.

"I know him," Wick said, "We did a few jobs together with Marcus a while back."

Wick took out his cell phone and dialed the number, waiting patiently for someone on the other end to pick up. After a more than a few rings, someone eventually picked it up.

"What do you want?" a female voice asked in Japanese.

"I'm looking for Crispin Jones," Wick replied.

"Who is this?" the lady asked again.

"This is John Wick," he replied, "Tell Crispin he owes me."

Moments later another voice came on the line, with an Irish accent.

"John?" Crispin called out, "Is that really you? You're back in Japan?"

"I'm at the Tokyo Continental," Wick replied, "Send me a car in an hour. We need to talk business, and have all your best toys out on display."

"How much are you thinking of spending?" Crispin asked.

John looked down at the other large bag Ms. Lee didn't take away. "I'd say about a million and change."

"The car will be there in an hour," Crispin replied.

"Good man," Wick said, "See you soon."

He disconnected the line and picked up the other bag. Hashimoto was looking at Wick, unaware of what he was planned next.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked him.

"Yeah," John replied, "Stay the fuck out of my way."

John left the body in the middle of the lobby, and walked back to the elevator and up to his room. He took a long hot shower, cleaning all the blood off his body, thinking about how he felt, as he thought it was Yuna dying in his arms. He was going to do anything to make sure that never happened again, including wiping the Dragon and all his people off the face of the earth. When he left his room forty five minutes later, he was carrying only the large bag he brought up with him and his sword. As promised, there was a car waiting for him outside the lobby. As he exited the building, the car popped the trunk and he tossed the big back in there but kept the sword as he jumped into the back seat. It took less than a half hour for the driver to take him to a compound that was clearly waiting for him. There were several armed men, wearing tactical gear as the car drove deep into the warehouse and came to a stop in the middle of it.

There was a man in a navy blue suit, who did stick out cause he was the only man in the room who wasn't armed nor wearing any tactical gear. His bright blonde hair and slender figure was hard to miss as well.

"Mr. Wick," Crispin called out as he watched John step out of the car. He then noticed the man was carrying a sword. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It is," John confirmed, as he grabbed the large bag and tossed it in Crispin's general direction. "You can count it while I browse."

"Jesus John, this is a lot of money," Crispin said after he opened it, "Whose money is this?"

"It belongs to a dead man," John answered, "Do you have any napalm?"

"What the shit, man!" Crispin said, walking closer, "I heard there was hell breaking loose, and then I heard you were in town. That can't be a coincidence!"

"It's not," John replied, "I'm going to tear this city apart, so you're either with me or against me."

"I'm with you mate," Crispin said, raising his hands to surrender, "Just be straight with me: what the fuck is going on?"

"Someone kidnapped my daughter," John said.

"Excuse me?" Crispin said, shocked at the revelation. "I didn't know you had a daughter."

"Until yesterday, neither did I." John added, "I need your help."

"You have it, John." Crispin said without hesitating, "Who are we hunting?"

"The Golden Dragon," Wick told him, "Know where I can find him?"

"As a matter of fact I do," Crispin answered, "We do business often so I know where all his secret hideouts are. I'll make a call to offer help, that will tell us where he is and we'll go there to kick his ass."

"We?" John repeated, surprised to hear it.

"Yes, we." Crispin said, as he turned to face one of the tactical dressed men that happened to be standing ten feet behind him. "I want everyone geared up and in the humvees in a half hour. Load up with hollow tips only. No one survives except the hostage."

"Yes, Sir." the man in the gear said as he left.

"This is personal," Crispin said, as he tossed the back aside, "I don't need to count it. You'd give everything away to get her back."

"I would," John confirmed.

"Grab anything you need." His friend said, gesture to the massive stash of guns and explosives on display. "I'll make the call and find out where Dragon is hiding his punk ass."

"The Dragon is mine." John told him, "This sword is going to be what separates his head from what's left of his body."

Crispin smiled. "After what that wanker did, I wouldn't have it any other way."


	7. Chapter 7

Four Humvees, all black and carrying seven men a piece, roared through the heart of Tokyo and towards their target. Crispin got the location of the Golden Dragon from a client but using both the carrot and the stick. If his client cooperated, they would get a nice discount on their next purchase, but if they refused he was going put him in the same hole they were going to put the Dragon and his men into. That kind of threat didn't take long for Crispin to get all the Intel he needed, and his strike force of twenty-eight strong were ready to kick some serious ass. It took the heavily armored vehicles less than a half hour to travel to the compound that the Dragon and what was left of his crew were hiding out in. They were under the assumption that the tall fences, the gate, and even the surveillance would be enough to keep them safe. That assumption would be their undoing, as the first Humvee bashed down the gate with ease, which allowed the five that followed to roll in and take position outside the main doors to the compound. As the men started to spill out of vehicles, all in black tactical gear, the alarm started but it would make no difference. Anyone who came out to oppose them were cut down with extreme prejudice and them tapped out as close range to make sure they were dead. It became clearly evident to whoever was watching the security feeds, this crew was here to kick ass and take no prisoners. Using a small explosive device, they blew the first door open and started to slowly infest the building and kill anything that moved. It wasn't until the tactical men started to infiltrate the main hangar that the real fight started. The Dragon had close to thirty of his own people waiting, and they tried to ambush their attackers as they came into view, but their own weapons had little effect as their armor was too strong and resulted in no casualties. Unlike the Dragon's own men, his attackers were all profoundly good shots, hitting targets with ease and cutting down the Dragon's numbers at a surprising rate. The Dragon was furious about something else, he couldn't find Wick. All of the men who were killing his men were dressed head to toe in black. If Wick was one of them, the Dragon couldn't tell as they all annoyingly looked the same.

"Use the rockets!" The dragon called out, eager to get an upper hand.

One of his men grabbed a rocket launcher, but before he got a chance to use it, one of the men firing at them hit the Dragon's man in the neck with a shot, which caused him to point the launcher up and sent the rocket flying towards the roof, blowing a big hole in the middle of the hanger's ceiling. The blast sent rubble from the roof flying down, forcing the Dragon and some of his men to jump out of the way.

In the confusion of the rocket opening a hold in the ceiling and crashing all around everyone, the Dragon used it to make his exit. He grabbed the wrist of a young woman and dragged her behind him as he made a run towards the back of the hangar. Rather than take the stairs down, he chose to go up instead, racing towards the steel runways that led to the roof and where the Dragon would make his getaway. Yet several of the men who were fighting his own men, realized what he was doing and tried to shoot at him. Several seconds after trying, they were wall ordered to hold their fire, afraid that they might hit the hostage he was dragging behind him. The all knew she was the reason they were all there, the young woman was clearly Wick's child. The Dragon used their pause to his advantage as he fired back, even hitting a few despite the fact that they were unharmed due to their excessive armor. His human shield allowed the Dragon to make it to the roof unharmed. He had run out of ammo so he tossed away his gun before kicking the door to the roof open and walking out. Despite the large hole made by the rocket launcher, the Dragon still had a clear path to the emergency stair case and to his getaway vehicle which was warmed up and waiting for him to arrive. The Dragon smiled at the chance to get away again but it was short lived.

A single man in body armor stepped out, holding up a rather menacing assault rifle at him as he came into view. Turns out the Dragon's means of escape wasn't as fool proof as he had assumed, as it was easy for his adversary's to presume he's use the roof to make his escape. The Dragon pushed the girl aside and raised his arms up to mock the man staring him down.

"You are without honor!" he called out, "Are you really going to shoot an unarmed man?"

"That depends on the man," The soldier replied, "Does it matter if he is without honor as well?"

The Dragon stood there, like a statue, as he was eager to talk himself into another fighting chance to live. He reached behind him and pulled out a katana that was strapped to his back. He took a defensive posture and smiled at the man who was still pointing the gun at him.

"I can see your sword," he called out. "Are you afraid to do battle like a real warrior? Like the samurai of centuries past?"

The man with the big gun stood there and thought about it. He looked over at the woman lying on the ground and then back at the Dragon. He tossed the assault rifle away and reached back for the sword that the Dragon had mentioned. Yet the Dragon himself was in for a big surprised as when the soldier unsheathed the sword that was attached to his back, the blade was as black as night. The Dragon had heard of such a sword a long time ago, but doubted its true existence. He looked back up at the solider, a little less confident than he was a moment ago.

"Who are you?" he called out.

The man paused for a moment and then removed his mask: it was Wick.

"Papa!" the young woman called out. John turned to look at her, surprised that she had recognized him. Turns out her mother had been honest about who her father was and even showed her pictures so she would know her father the moment she laid eyes on him. Wick paused for a moment and turned his attention back to the Dragon.

"I told you this would happen," John side as he then took a stance of his own, preparing to do battle with the Dragon. "Your operation is almost destroyed, and soon you will be as well."

"You are cocky, Mr. Wick." The Dragon said as he started to move closer to him while keeping a firm posture with his sword. "I have been studying this weapons for decades, no one is more proficient with it in all of Tokyo."

"We'll see about that," Wick said as he also started to creep closer.

As soon as the words came from Wick's mouth, the Dragon broke his posture and charged at him. He swung the sword with force, but Wick had no issues fending off each attempt to slice at him. After a few attacks, the Dragon backed away and again took a defensive posture.

"You're well trained," the Dragon confessed, "I assume your training was done here during your last stay in Tokyo."

"It was," Wick replied, "I studied under a man who was not well known, but his technique and knowledge were unmatched."

Rather than respond, the Dragon charged Wick a second time and this time his attack was a little more effective. His second wave was a complex series of stab and cutting attempts and while John managed to fend most of them off again, the second last slice hit Wick in the side, taking first blood as the cut broke the skin and spilled Wick's blood onto the roof. It wasn't a deep cut, but effective enough to give the Dragon something to gloat about.

"That is a very impressive sword," the Dragon continued, "Under normal battles, most swords would have broken by now but yours is like a piece of rock, standing up to the large waves that crash upon it."

"Stop talking," Wick hissed at him with teeth clenched, "You're beginning to bore me with you feeble chatter."

The Dragon didn't like to be interrupted and he again charged at Wick, once again engaging in a long series of chops and stabs, but Wick was again able to block most of them, except one that cut his arm inches below his shoulder.

The Dragon didn't make a defensive posture this time as he could tell that his opponent was weaker than when they had started. He smiled at Wick, enjoying the sight of his rival's blood upon the ground.

"You cannot win," the Dragon called out again, "I am superior in the ways of the samurai. If you think someone as weak as you, an American of all people could best me with the sword then you are more delusional than I first suspected Mr. Wick."

"I intend to keep my word," Wick snarled at the Dragon, his face red with anger at the man who kidnapped his child.

"Let me give you a preview of what is to come." The Dragon said, as he began to pace around Wick like a predator that was scoping its prey. "Once I kill you, I will take your daughter and make her my wife. Our union will force Hashimoto to accept me as the future, and concede all his territory to me. I will rule this city with an iron fist, and be the most powerful boss in the world!"

Upon saying that, the Dragon attempted to move in for the kill. To his surprise, Wick was able to fend off his big move and the two men stood there, face to face as their swords were locked. Each man tried to use their strength to push the other away, but neither had the muscle to break the deadlock.

"Your resistance is wasted!" The Dragon screamed at him. "The future is mine!"

Wick smiled, "You have no future..."

Without warning, John reached to the bottom of his sword and pulled out a dagger that was hiding in the hilt. With both swords locked and considering how close the two men were, the Dragon had no time to react to the new threat as Wick thrust the dagger forward and put it right into the Dragon's chest. The Dragon staggered back and dropped his sword, gasping in shock as the dagger had struck his heart. He fell to his knees as he heart was slowing down and was about to come to a complete stop. He looked up at Wick, his eyes wide with shock.

"You are without honor," the Dragon softly whispered.

"That may be so," Wick confirmed, "but I'm at least a man of my word."

Before the Dragon could suck in his last breath, Wick took the Black Death and used it to separate the gangster's head from his shoulders with one aggressive cut. As the Dragon's head rolled away, Wick turned to face the young woman who had just witnessed the entire ordeal.

"Yuna," he called out, "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's alright," Yuna said, with surprisingly good English. "Mother told me that if I was ever in trouble, you would come to save me."

Wick smiled as his little girl. "I'm glad to have proven her right."

The two of them hugged again, making up for lost time in a matter of seconds. A moment Wick would not soon forget, meeting his child for the first time.


	8. Chapter 8

After the rest of the Golden Dragon's men were dispatched, Wick let Crispin know that anything in the warehouse was his to keep if he wanted it. It was a gesture that Crispin knew was rare because John had a reputation of burning everything rather than looting it. One of Crispin's men took the time to stitch up Wick's arm and side, as the medic fixed the cuts the Golden Dragon had inflicted on him. Yuna stood there and watched patiently as her father was being tended to.

"Who taught you how to speak English?" John asked her.

"My grandfather didn't want me to learn," she explained, "So my mother gave me private lessons when the old man was out on business. The rest I did online like everyone else after mother died."

"How did she die?" Wick asked.

"It was the big earthquake," Yuna replied, "We lost many people that day."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," John said, as he reached out and took her hand. "I had no idea you were here. If I had, I would have come to visit a lot sooner."

"I know," Yuna said, smiling. "I also knew you left to prevent people from being hurt. I respect that and so did mother."

John winced a bit as the medic finished up the stitches on his arm, which was all the repairs he needed from battle. "I made an agreement with your grandfather earlier. You're coming back to spend some time with me in America."

"He actually agreed to that?" Yuna asked, quite surprised.

"He didn't have a choice." John confirmed, "He still doesn't."

"That isn't entirely so," a voice called out.

John and Yuna looked over as Hashimoto walked over and hugged his granddaughter, happy just to see her alive again.

"I am so sorry you had to endure that," Hashimoto told the young woman, "I promise it will never happen again."

"You bet it won't," John concurred, "Especially since she'll be with me."

The old man looked back at John, and he could tell the old man was reconsidering their agreement.

"Look around," John said, as he gestured to all the carnage around them, "This is what happened to the last person who got between us. Do you want to be next?"

Hashimoto paused for a moment and then nodded, "You fulfilled your end of the bargain and I will fulfill mine. Please come back and visit when things have settled down."

"Is he free to return with me?" Yuna asked, gesturing to her father.

"He is," Hashimoto replied, "He is with honor. His willingness to forgive an old man's arrogance and help him in his greatest hour of need proved that to me. You are welcome to return whenever you want, Mr. Wick."

"I never needed your permission," Wick informed him, "But thanks."

"At least give me time to say goodbye," Hashimoto begged, "Let us dine together and celebrate Yuna's return. Then you can take my private jet back to America and catch up on time missed."

John thought about it and then nodded, "A celebration sounds good. I think that would be alright."

Both John and Yuna returned to Hashimoto's mansion with the old man, and while John was concerned the old man might try to use the time to stab him in the back and try to break their deal, he had a feeling Hashimoto wasn't dumb enough to try that. Wick had just vanquished his arch enemy, pretty much giving the old man his own territory and new territories to plunder. He had a lot of work to do to secure his new kingdom, so it made sense for Yuna to be away while he seized the riches that were now up for grabs. Hashimoto also didn't want to suffer the same fate as the Golden Dragon, deciding to quit the game while he was far ahead. Just in case Hashimoto was stupid enough to try something, the Black Death never left Wick's shoulder, even when he came down to join everyone for dinner. He was wearing a nice black suit, and the sword actually matched his attire and made him look more like the warrior he had been earlier that day. He sat down and looked across at his young daughter who looked very elegant in the dress she was wearing, as it was something very similar to what his mother would wear when he used to secretly date her. He was surprised how much the young woman looked like her mother, as if he was looking back into the past.

The meal was exquisite, another thing that brought memories back to Wick as he remember dining with Hashimoto and his family before. It was a long time ago, but those days Hashimoto was his boss and he was a humble worker who was happy to be invited to dine with him. Now they were equals, men who had to work together for a common cause, one that they had successfully reached.

"I take it your meal was good, Mr. Wick?" Hashimoto asked.

"It was splendid," Wick confirmed, "Thank you."

"Warm Saki?" the old man offered.

"No thank you," John declined, "I've got a long flight ahead of me, so I'd prefer to keep my wits."

"You are safe here, Mr. Wick." Hashimoto informed him.

"The answer is still no," Wick said, his tone a tad harsher.

"Very well," Hashimoto said, laughing. "More for me!"

The rest of the meal went by quickly without any further incident, and when the day was done, John walked his daughter back to her room to day goodnight. Part of him wanted to take Yuna to the Continental, but he understood Yuna had nothing to fear when she was in the mansion, but he was another matter altogether. When they reached her room, Yuna invited him to enter and take a look. It was a simple room, something that reminded John of her mother, for she wasn't big on splashy decor. He then noticed a picture on the desk, of both him and Yuna's mother. He picked it up and looked at it and then back at Yuna.

"She never let me forget who you were." Yuna told him, "It was always her wish to one day travel back to America and visit you when I was older. A shame she couldn't be here to enjoy this moment."

"It is," John agreed, as he put the picture back down. "I loved her. I still do."

It was at this moment that John heard something, and he waved Yuna to move to the corner of her room away from the door. Out of pure instinct and the fact that he was still worried Hashimoto might try to pull something, Wick unsheathed his dark katana and waited as he heard someone softly move to the door. The person was moving so quietly, Wick might have missed it if he and Yuna hadn't been sharing a silent moment for her mother.

The door burst open and man dressed head to toe in black came in, welding two small blades, lunging straight for John. Despite the man's attack, Wick used his sword to fend him off even easier than he had the Dragon earlier in the day. John didn't hesitate to strike when the opportunity presented itself, using his extremely sharp blade to relieve his attack of one of his arms, cutting just below the elbow. As the blood gushed out where his arm used to be, the man looked back at Wick just seconds, before he drove the dark blade into the man's chest, killing him.

John looked back at his daughter, "Do you have somewhere you can hide?"

"Yes," Yuna answered, "There is a panic room behind this bookshelf."

"Get in there," John ordered, watching as she opened the door. "Stay here and don't open this door for anyone. Understood?"

"What about you?" Yuna asked, worried about him.

"This man wasn't your grandfather," John said gesturing to the man, "His fighting style reminded me of the Golden Dragon. This might be a retaliation to his death. He also would never attack me with you in the same room, he cares too much to put you at risk. That means your grandfather might need my help. Stay here and let me handle this."

"I will," Yuna said, before reaching out and hugging him, "Please be careful."

"I'll try," John said. He stood there and watched as the door closed and there was a loud clicking that let him know the room was bolted shut. He strolled out into the hallway, only to be greeted by two more ninja like men who immediately pulled their own katanas before charging Wick. Their attack was even weaker than the man Wick had dispatched in Yuna's room, as he fended off their attacks before unleashing his own. One of them watched in surprised as John's sword was so strong that it broke theirs in half, leaving both men defenceless. The two men were still stupid enough to attach with their half blades, which was their undoing. John quickly killed both men before descending the staircase to see if he could find Hashimoto. As he strolled into the main hall where they had feasted only a short time ago, John felt like he was walking into the proverbial lion's den. In the main hall were over twenty foot men, all armed with short blades, katanas and even num-chucks. John slowly walked into the room and took a position behind the head of the table. On the other end of the table was Hashimoto, on his knees as there was a man standing behind him. He was masked like the rest of the footmen, but like the Golden Dragon, he had a fancier getup on him which told Wick he was their leader.

"Mr. Wick," the leader called out to him, "You are the man who killed the Golden Dragon earlier today?"

"Who wants to know?" Wick retorted with his own question.

"I am the Dragon Master," the man replied.

"Seriously?" Wick called back, "You couldn't come up with something better than that? I mean it totally lacks originality."

"That matters not to me," The Dragon Master replied, "The Golden Dragon was our kin. We are here to avenge him."

"So which one of you thought it was wise to kidnap my kin?" John asked, "What honor is there in attacking an innocent girl?"

"What happens to a woman is of no concern to me," The Dragon Master replied.

"It should," John corrected, "That stupid tactic is the reason why I parted your man's head from his body. He was without honor, so I took his life with prejudice after several warnings."

"Then I shall return the favor," the Dragon Master said, as he did the very thing John suspected he would do next. There was far too much distance between them for Wick to have done anything to stop him, but the Dragon Master took his sword and drove it trough Hashimoto's back, with the blade emerging through his chest for everyone to see.

"Take care of her," Hashimoto called out to Wick, "Take her home."

"He's not going anywhere," The Dragon Master called out, "He's surrounded by some of the finest warriors in all of Japan."

At that moment, John lifted his sword and took an offensive posture with the Black Death. It was a style that Wick had promised his master he would only use as a last resort, when he was facing death and the odds were against him. Surrounded by almost thirty footmen and the Dragon Master himself, Wick believed this qualified.

The Dragon Master was angered by John's lack of fear. And it was the sound that dispatched his footmen, as they all charged John with the intent to take his life. John waited patiently until then had come into range and then struck without hesitation, slicing the first man's arm off before turning and decapitating another. The rest of the Dragon Master's men stopped upon seeing the first two die, and it was that hesitation that told John he was dealing with people who feared him.

"Warriors?" John repeated back to him, "All I see here are a lot of dead men."

Right after saying that, John Wick didn't hesitate to go on the attack which took all of his opponents completely by surprise.


	9. Chapter 9

The first few of men that John attacked never stood a chance, as the blade he was swinging at them cut through the metal of their blades as easily as it did their flesh. Their attempts to take action were just as futile, as Wick was able to anticipate their next move and act accordingly. It took John only a matter of minutes to dice through the dozen men that had surrounded him, to the point where the last two has turned and run, much to the disgust of their leader. Wick turned to face the Master, sword raised as he was poised and ready to attack him next.

"I'm sorry," John called out to him, "It appears you are the master of dead men and cowards."

"You're skilled," the Master said as he slowly walked closer.

"You're just figuring that out now?" John retorted, "I took out your alleged best earlier today. You'd think that would warrant a bit of caution."

"We are not the kind to be cautious." The Master replied.

"I noticed," Wick admitted, "That has been your weakness since the beginning. The Green Dragon made the same error, he underestimated me. It was the cause of his death and will be yours as well."

"That won't be necessary, Jonathan." A voice called out.

Wick recognized that voice and turned to see Winston, standing at the main door to the banquet hall. He looked a little jet lagged but was standing there with his hands in his pockets as if he had just strolled down the street as opposed to flying halfway around the world.

"What are you doing here?" John asked the old man.

"I'm here on Continental business," Winston replied, "So if you don't mind Jonathan, fetch your daughter from wherever she is hiding and leave the building."

"Are you sure about that?" Wick asked, "This man is dangerous."

"As am I," Winston informed him, "And this man sanctioned a hit in one of my buildings. That simply cannot be tolerated."

"I have men surrounding the building," The Master called out, "None of you are leaving this building alive!"

"You had men surrounding this building," Winston corrected him. "They're all dead. The only men surrounding this building are mine. No one commits murder in my building and gets away with it. An example must be made."

"Are you sure, Winston?" Wick asked as he started to back away to the door.

"I appreciate the offer to assist," Winston answered, "But I can assure you, I have matters under control. Hashimoto's private plane is fueled and ready to fly. You and your daughter should fly back state side as soon as possible."

"I think that's a good idea," John said, lowering his sword. "Thank you."

"We'll speak again when I return," Winston continued, "I just have some unfinished business to attend to. If you'll excuse me."

As John when up the stairs, he noticed there were a lot more bodies in the hallway than he remembered seeing the last time. Winston's men had cleared the building while John had been taking care of everyone in the banquet hall. It didn't matter to him, as he strolled back to Yuna's room and knocked on the wall.

"It's me," John called out, "We have to leave."

The door to the safe room slowly opened and Yuna emerged. She was scared but unharmed which was all John cared about at that particular moment.

"Is it over?" she asked him.

"Pretty much," John answered, "Do you need to pack anything?"

"I just need a few things." The young girl answered.

"You have five minutes," John told her, "We can have everything else shipped at a later date."

"Yes, father." She replied, with a small, respectful bow.

John paused for a moment, taking in the last word that she had told him. It was a comment that had excited and scared him at the very same time. He watched in silence as the young lady quickly packed a small bag to get ready to leave the only home she ever had. John had felt bad about that, but Winston was right: they had to leave as soon as possible as this nation was too dangerous for her. Just as she was closing the bag, John pointed over to the wall.

"Don't forget the picture of you mother," he said to her.

Yuna reached over behind her and tossed the framed photo of her mother and Wick into the bag. They left the room and while she was scared to see the bodies on the floors, they quickly moved to the main floor and out the door to the car Winston had waiting for them outside. There were a few guards outside but no where near the amount Winston had referred to. This left John to assume that the owner of the Continental had likely taken the Dragon Master to somewhere else to make his example to the rest of the underworld in the country. It took the car waiting outside only twenty minutes to drive them back to the private air field where Yuna's plane was waiting for them. Once they were back onboard, the plane slowly taxied out to the runway and soared into the skies, taking John back to America. He had been in Japan less than a few days and despite that feeling he had being back in familiar territory, he was happy to be leaving again and heading back to the home he had resided in for over a decade. He laid back and sighed in one of the comfortable chairs, after putting the sword down on the chair beside him. Yuna was on the other side of the plane, looking at her father and thinking something to herself.

"What is it?" John asked, as if he could hear her brain working.

"I'm just curious," Yuna answered honestly, "What happens now?"

"We go back to my place, and you live there for a while." John replied, "We get to know one another, bond a little bit, maybe look for a nice school to resume your studies with. We're pretty close to the end of the school year, so we're better off waiting till after the summer to send you back to school. I would prefer you finger healed up before you went back anyway."

"I understand," Yuna agreed, "Will we be able to find something exciting to do where we're going?"

"I'm sure we'll be alright," John replied, aware that he lived awfully close to New York which would handle any of Yuna's entertainment needs. The idea of taking her out to dinners, shows, shopping for shoes gave him images of what was to come raising this child on his own. He also remembered that Yuna's mother had raised the young girl by herself for the first part of her life, so it only seemed fair that John take things from here and do his part until Yuna was old and mature enough to leave the nest. John was very nervous as he thought about the responsibility of raising a teenager by himself. He would have to give the young lady a little slack not only because she will be unfamiliar with the area she'll be living in, but also because of the trauma that she just experienced. While the kid glove treatment wasn't exactly John's specialty, he would have to give it his be effort to make sure his daughter was as comfortable as possible.

"What is it?" John said, as he could feel her eyes staring at him.

"Is your dwelling big enough for us both?" she asked.

A fair question, John thought to himself, considering how small the real estate can be in Japan. "I have a house, which is more than big enough for the both of us. You'll have your own room as well as your own bathroom. You are also responsible to keep both of them clean. Understood."

"Understood," she repeated, "Is there anything else I should know about where we are going?"

"Not really," John said thinking about it. "I hope you like dogs."

"I'm allergic to dogs." Yuna replied.

"What?" John said as he sat up.

"I'm joking," Yuna said, smiling at him. "I love dogs."


	10. Chapter 10

It was lightly raining when John arrived at the cemetery that morning. It had been a while since he had been there, and slowly strolled up to the stone he had come to visit, with flowers clutched in his hand. Wick had stood there in silence, looking at the headstone and thinking about what he wanted to say, as John had no idea where to even begin. He just stood there in the rain, looking down and uncertain of himself. He gently tossed the flowers onto the base of the stone, almost afraid to approach it as just being there made him a little uncomfortable.

"I know what you're thinking," John said, speaking to the tombstone before him. "What the hell is he doing here, and with flowers? All I can say in my defense is that time changes people, and I've gone through a lot of changes recently. I became a father. Yes, I'm not kidding. John Wick is a father to a teenage girl. If you were here, the mere thought of me trying to handle a teenager would have you in stitches."

John stood there and paused, before reaching into his coat and pulling out a small bottle of vodka. He gently opened it and took a sip.

"When I was younger, before I found my calling, I remember having a conversation with my father." John started, slowly putting the cap back on the bottle. "He told me that the day someone becomes a father is the day that everything changes. I remember him saying that the way that I look at everything, even how I watched sports on television would change overnight. Being the young idiot that I was, I thought the old man was just trying to scare me. There was simply no way a person could change that much from just one event. Turns out he was right. I've been a father less than two months, and the world has changed. There was the world as I knew it before I met or even knew about Yuna, and now I live in a world with a child that I helped create. I'm still learning on the job, but now that she's here everything has changed just like the old man said it would. And that's why I'm here today. Now that I see the world through this new perspective, it's forced me to do a little soul searching. I've felt obligated to look back at all my sins and question them not from the perspective of a man, but of a father. When I do that I feel ashamed about how things went down between us, and it's for that reason that I've come to apologize."

John opened the bottle a second time, but instead of taking a sip he poured a small drop in front of the gravestone, sharing as shot of the drink with the person he has come to visit.

"You and I never saw eye to eye on very much Viggo," John said, taking another swig of the vodka, "But today, I'm seeing things from your perspective. Your son Iosef may have been a spoiled little punk, but that's not how you saw him. You remember what he was like when he was younger, more innocent and full of life. You remembered the days when he was small enough to fit into one of your arms like a football. That spoiled punk was your child, your flesh and blood. I bet a part of you had hoped Iosef would eventually grow up, get married and have a kid of his own. Become the man that you had hoped he'd become, and I took all that potential away because I was bitter and angry. No, it wasn't the dog I was angry about. It was the fact that I had just lost the love of my life, and I wanted something... someone... anyone to take my pent up anger out on. Your son broke into the house and gave m the excuse I was looking for. I'm not trying to justify my actions; I now see how unacceptable that was. I look at the efforts you took to protect Iosef and I respect it. I've only been a Dad for a few days and I was ready to tear Japan apart to protect my child, which is why I understand why you went to such great length to protect yours. If someone tried to kill my child today, I would fight just as hard to protect Yuna. I killed so many people in Japan a few months ago, and you know what keeps racing through my mind? What happened to the mothers, the fathers, the wives or children of the people I killed over there? What happened to the mothers and fathers of the people I killed while trying to get back at Iosef? How many families did I tear apart because of my rage over the death of a dog... a fucking dog!"

John stood there, opening the bottle to take another shot. He poured another one out for Viggo and sighed deeply.

"I'm not proud of what I've done," John continued, "And now that I understand the position you were put into by your son, I really wish I had listened to you the first time you called me. I wish I had talked to you rather than turned to violence as quickly as I had. You were trying to protect your child, and I was unable to understand that until today. I'm sorry, Viggo."

John took one last swig of the vodka before pouring the rest of it onto the ground before Viggo Tarasov's tombstone. After putting the empty bottle back into his coat, John noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A man was standing twenty feet behind him, with an open umbrella. He turned around to face that man, not at all surprised to see him again.

"How much of that did you hear?" John called out to him.

"Enough," the man replied, "Those were some pretty profound words for a guy who was sharing them with a former enemy, Jonathan."

"I didn't want him to be my enemy, Winston." Wick replied as he started to walk closer to the owner of the Continental. "It was something that just happened and I now regret all of it."

"All of it?" Winston asked, with a perked eyebrow.

"Well not all of it," Wick admitted, "But I've taken a lot of lives ever since losing my wife. I know it's unfair to blame her for it because I'm the one who chose to get angry and to become violent. This is all on me, and I'll have to live with this new found guilt for the rest of my life."

"That's a rather interesting perspective," Winston observed, "Especially considering your current profession."

"Not anymore," John told him, "I'm out. My days of killing people, other people's children, is over for me."

"Retirement didn't work out that well for you last time," Winston reminded him, "What makes you think it will stick this time."

"Because I'm going to make a vow," John answered, "And I'm going to keep it."

"You know me Jonathan," Winston continued, "You word has always been good enough for me."

"I'm not taking about making a vow to you," John corrected him, "But to Yuna. I'm going to dedicate myself to fatherhood, be the man I wasn't able to be for her the first thirteen years of her life. During that time, as long as Yuna and I are left alone, no one will ever die by my hands ever again."

"You really mean that," Winston said, sensing how serious Wick was.

"I have to go," Wick told him, "I'd like to visit my wife before heading home to spend the rest of my day with Yuna."

"I hope that despite your latest revelation," Winston added, "That you'll still take a moment to drop by to say hello whenever you have the chance."

"I'll try," John replied, "But no promises."

"That will have to do for now," Winston said, shaking John's hand. "Take care, Jonathan. Give my best to Yuna."

"Thanks, Winston." John said as he turned away and started to walk towards his wife's grave which happened to be at the other side of the same cemetery. He didn't turn to see if Winston was still watching as he walked away but he didn't care. That part of his life was behind him as all that mattered to John Wick was the future that layed before him, hoping to raise his child in peace.


End file.
